Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when all school teachers will be subject to vetting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27552/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, parents and agencies that work with children and society generally and I assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all that it can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe.

While the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has primary responsibility for Garda vetting, I am happy to outline the progress that is being made in the expansion of the service.

My colleague the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has announced a doubling of the number of staff employed in the unit to ensure that they can handle a greater volume of requests from employers. The unit will commence the augmentation of its existing vetting arrangements upon decentralisation targeted for mid-November this year.

The provision of additional staff resources will enable the Garda Síochána's vetting services to be extended to all persons working with children and vulnerable adults. This will include teachers, caretakers and others working with children.

In the education sector, vetting is currently available in respect of requests for clearance from my Department in relation to bus escorts and special needs assistants provided to children with special educational needs, and to staff working in children's detention schools.

It is worth pointing out that, irrespective of whatever additional arrangements may be introduced in this area in the future, criminal record checks, while being capable in appropriate circumstances of making a significant contribution to ensuring that unsuitable persons do not secure positions of trust, are not the sole answer to ensuring applicants' suitability for posts.

There will continue to be a particular onus of care on employers to maintain good employment practice both during the recruitment stage, for example, good interviewing practice and checking references, and in ensuring adequate supervision arrangements post-recruitment.